digilib.uinsby.ac.id digilib.uinsby.ac.id digilib.uinsby.ac.id digilib.uinsby.ac.id digilib.uinsby.ac.id
Comprehensibility is the process of understanding of the utterances sent by the speaker done by the listener. Also
comprehensibility in speaking means that people can understand what we say and we can understand what they say.
Harmer states that if two people want to make communication to each other, they have to speak because they have different
information. If there is a ‘gap’ between them, it is not a good communication if the people still confuse with what they say.
48
Clark and clark stated that comprehensibility has two common senses. In its narrow sense it denotes the building of
meaning and utilizes the speech act conveyed. For example, a question, listener extracts the importation then tries to search
the answer for it.
49
It can be conludes that comprehensibility is the process of understanding of the utterances sent by the speaker
done by the listener. Comprehensibility is just the same with accuracy and fluency as an aspect to be assessed by the
researcher because of this aspect also as one of aspects that can indicate the students speaking ability.
a Content
Jacob, as cited by Saidna Zulfiqar explained that content should be clear to the listeners so that they can understand what the
messages convey and gain information from it. Content refers to how suitable or substantives the explanation toward the
object to be explained. To have a good content in speaking, the contents should be well unified and completed.
D. Difficulties in Speaking English
a. Difficulties on linguistics aspect
Linguistic aspect commonly refers to the elements of English as a language itself, which include the grammar, vocabulary, and
sound systems. 1.
Pronunciation. As cited by Saidna Zulfiqar, Alexander et al defined
pronunciation as the way in which a language or a particular
48
Ibid.
49
Herbert H. Clark and Eve V. Clark, Psychology and Language: An Introduction to Psycholinguistics New York: Harcourt College Pub, 1977, pp. 43–44.
digilib.uinsby.ac.id digilib.uinsby.ac.id digilib.uinsby.ac.id digilib.uinsby.ac.id digilib.uinsby.ac.id
word is pronounced. Teaching pronunciation relates with recognition or understanding the flow of speech and production
of words. Teaching pronunciation is intended students can produce speech which is intelligible in the areas where they use
it.
50
When a teacher teaches English, heshe makes sure that the students’ utterances can be understood. The students need to be
able to say what they want to say. This means that students’ pronunciation should be at least adequate for the purpose.
It is clear, sending message orally without acceptable and good pronunciation is impossible. Certainly, pronunciation
cannot be separated from intonation and stress. Pronunciation, intonation and stress are largely learnt successfully by imitating
and repetition. Therefore, the teacher should have good standard of pronunciation in order that the students can imitate
the teacher in teaching and learning process.
According to Carter and Nunan, pronunciation plays a central role in both personal and social intercourse. Correct
pronunciation is the pronunciation that almost same with the native speaker and correct based on the phonological. When the
students have good pronunciation, it will be easy to make sense what they say.
51
2. Vocabulary
When speaking the language, the speakers convey words based on their mind. Words are the means of
communication. Literally, word has a meaning that is used in certain proper context. Word is known as vocabulary used in
structural sentence.
Simon and Schuster in Amin defined vocabulary as 1 a list of words and sometimes phrases, usually arranged in
alphabetical order and defines; a dictionary, glossary or lexicon, 2 all the words of language, and 3 all the words
used by a particular person, class, profession, etc., sometimes
50
Tahir, TEACHING SPEAKING ENGLISH THROUGH YAHOO MESSENGER, p. 8.
51
Barbara Seidlhofer, “Pronunciation”, in The Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Cambridge
University Press, 2001, http:dx.doi.org10.1017CBO9780511667206.009.
digilib.uinsby.ac.id digilib.uinsby.ac.id digilib.uinsby.ac.id digilib.uinsby.ac.id digilib.uinsby.ac.id
all the words recognized and understood by a particular person, although not necessarily used by that person.
52
Vocabulary is total number of words which with rules for combining them build up a language. It consists of words,
noun, verb, adjective and function words such as preposition, conjunction, article and pronoun. Liu and Jackson claim that
lack of vocabulary was regarded as a main obstacle for spoken communication.
53
Therefore, the more vocabulary speaker learn in the early age, the more empowered they will
be to communicate.
54
It is because words are the building blocks in making meaning in any language.
3. Grammar
Grammar is one of the major language components. It pertains to sentence and word. It figures the categories
such as noun, subject, imperative clause, and so on. One often presupposes that speaking communicatively does
not have to use grammar. However, we do not realize that by ignoring grammar, we can misunderstanding which
maybe it is not bad in relax conversation but it can really bring serious bad effect in formal conversation.
Simon and Schuster in Amin also defined grammar as the part of the study of language which deals with the
forms and structured of words morphology and their customary arrangement in phrases and sentences syntax,
formerly used to denote all phrases of language study except that of the detailed meaning of words, as centered
on morphology and syntax, and now often distinguished from the study of pronunciation phonology and the word
meanings semantics.
55
It can be said that a grammar is the system of word structures and arrangements of a given
language at a particular time.
52
Tahir, TEACHING SPEAKING ENGLISH THROUGH YAHOO MESSENGER, p. 9.
53
Zhengdong Gan, “Understanding L2 Speaking Problems: Implications for ESL Curriculum Development in a Teacher Training Institution in Hong Kong”, Australian
Journal of Teacher Education, vol. 37, no. 1 2012, p. 49, http:ro.ecu.edu.auajtevol37iss13, accessed 5 Sep 2016.
54
Win with Words Facilitator’s book Pearson South Africa, 1999, p. 9.
55
Tahir, TEACHING SPEAKING ENGLISH THROUGH YAHOO MESSENGER, p. 9.
